Loneliness is a Burdan
by DemonicAngelGREED
Summary: REQUEST from Jameis: The greatest punishment is to be alone: no one knows this as well as Zen-Aku but can all this change when he meets a young boy in the heart of Angel Grove?
1. Chapter 1

Humans had always disgusted his he might have been created from the inner soul of one but he had been put to sleep thousands of years ago and so he did not think that was particularly important, and as a warrior oriented org-a damn strong one at that-he had always found the way they bickered among themselves and starts wars which depleted their numbers a very entertaining and fun thing to watch progress with the advancement in weaponry and fighting skills that the humans always seemed to be adapting and changing every few decades, although he still was more inclined to his own weapons which took more than simple training to use effectively.

Over the years he had travelled the lands he had seen many things ranging from the beautiful wilderness and savannahs of the lands the people called 'Africa' and the formation of great and ancient cities like the one called 'Rome'. Some days he felt the loss of his human counter-part more than he was willing to admit: Merrick Baltion who had willingly put himself in a sleep to separate himself from him hurt him more than he liked to admit with his little stunt and had made his merge into society until the Master Org was able to come out of hiding harder than it should have been.

With his ugly wolf like form he couldn't morph into the human society and was forced to hide in the shadows and wasn't able to come out into the light for fear of being attacked or hurt-except for one night a year called Halloween that he was considered to be 'awesome' whatever that meant. He liked to be alone most days it was nice not having someone rambling in your ear constantly telling you what they want or how they feel unlike how it was when he and the wolf warrior shared a body and consciousness and how he was constantly plagued by his inner thoughts of how he thought what he was doing was wrong and that he should stop what he was doing before he hurt someone he held dear.

But he was part wolf: and wolves were a pack animal which meant that he could only be alone for so long before he begun to get lonely, he had searched for other orgs to talk to and try to bond with but the ones he had found hadn't wanted anything to do with him or were just too scared of him to really bond with him. Which was why he was currently alone as he stared up at the setting sun in a small clearing thinking about the last few thousand years he had wandered the earth trying to find someone; anyone just to talk to.

On the days where the loneliness got really bad he would sometimes find himself thinking about heading to the place where Merrick laid in eternal rest and linking his soul with the wolf warrior and letting himself fall asleep just as the human he had once resided in had let himself. But then a bird would chirp or one of his animal cousins would have a cub and suddenly he no longer wanted to sleep he wanted to see how the world changed around him and how he could fit into that said world.

He had somehow ended up in a place that he really didn't think he should be near as it was highly populated and had hardly any caves or forests for him to hide out in: which normally would spell his doom or at least the foreshadowing of his departure of said town or city. The name of his current location was that of Angel Grove which was where he had been for a good year or two which was strange for him considering he was nomad by nature and liked to move every few months, but he had been drawn to place temporary roots in the strange town.

Angel Grove was home to the Power Rangers who seemed to be some sort of team that fought ugly alien warriors that had decided to target this single city in the name of some strange power they called Zordon. He had watched these Rangers closely and monitored them carefully as they lost their first set of powers in an accident that destroyed their first foe and then took up a new one they called a Zeo power that took away their black and replaced it with a green, to fight a new enemy that called themselves the Machine Empire.

These rangers were good: they all had very good fighting skills as he soon learned from his observations and they all worked well together much like a family-there were even relationships between many of them members such as the green and blue members who seemed devoted to each other more so than even he would think true wolf mates were and then of course the red and pink members who had a very co-existent relationship where they related to each other closer than they had anyone else before in which a relationship of the romantic sort had blossomed.

In his own opinion it was these relationships that made these 'Zeo Rangers' so powerful and effective against their foes and was why he refused to harm anyone in fear of going up against the five of them: he was a powerful warrior yes but he was only one warrior and even he could not stand up against the five of them. Thinking back to Merrick's old warrior brothers he began to realise just how much had changed in the centuries he had been wandering the earth.

Unlike these rangers who hated to hurt each other even slightly and would help one another through their troubles or problems the other warriors that Merrick had considered 'brothers' hadn't even blinked an eye when they realised that their brother wanted to be put to sleep because he house Zen-Aku and had done so without a hint of remorse: oh yes they had been upset they had lost the princess's most loyal and strongest warrior all because of him but they hadn't been generally sad as he knew the rangers would be in their position: and that was why Zen-Aku knew they were going to win.

Glancing out at the deserted field in front of him he wolf org took in the feelings around him and let himself calm down after a weary day of watching another ranger battle from the shadows. He didn't have much else to do anymore and had over time had begun to latch onto the green ranger who reminded him so much of Merrick's old style that he had begun to make a theme song for him: it was a lot like the wolf song that he or Merrick would often play during battle or in his human counter parts case to the princess but he had adjusted it appropriately to fit the green Zeo.

His song was more complex in the fact that it had different levels and tempos; it changed from being kind and cheery to a slow and foreboding tune that spoke of danger and suffering. He had drawn inspiration from everything he saw the other do and often used his emotions during battle to form his song. When he had completed it a few weeks earlier he had taken a liking to it right away and begun to play it whenever he could, he could still remember when the rangers heard the song after they had been victorious in a battle and it had grabbed the attention of the green Zeo almost immediately.

"But Adam you and Rocky promised!" a light voice whined slightly breaking him from his train of thought: he could hear the words clearly thanks to his lupine hearing and despite the words the child was saying he could hear that the speaker wasn't actually mad or annoyed but merely saying the words out of practise.

A light chuckle followed these words and Zen-Aku crawled forward until he was close enough to feel the speaker's presence and when he peeked through the shrubbery that was hiding his form he was shocked to see that it was the Blue and Green Zeo rangers and a small boy a few years younger than them that were the speaker. "We know Kid" the blue said his voice while still kind and warm: affectionate held tinges of regret and sorrow meaning he was sorry about something. "Look if we get done in time we'll try to catch the movie later"

The green sighed and then crouched down so he was eye level with the younger boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder the sides of his mouth quirky up in a happy grin "How about this: tomorrow is Saturday right?" he said carefully like he was holding something back, the boy nodded excitedly and Zen-Aku realised he must go to school just as the rangers did. "Well considering Rocky and I have our belt lessons today we have tomorrow completely free: so how about we spend the whole day we with you then huh?"

The boy nodded excitedly and threw his arms around the Green ranger's neck happily "You're the best Adam!" he cried and then looked up at the blue ranger who was looking at him happily "You too Rocky"

Both rangers waved the boy off and after trading goodbyes they went their separate ways leaving him alone once again, holding back the whine he desperately wanted to release Zen-Aku walked back over to the log he had been sitting on before and thought back to the boy who the rangers had been so familiar with. He knew from his observations that the boy wasn't a ranger and he wasn't old enough to really be there equal as he looked to be around the human age of eleven maybe twelve the easiest possibility would be younger brother but he knew that was not the case.

Growling in frustration he shook his head to get his mind of it he pulled out his flute and began playing around with the chords and soon begun playing his wolf song with an ease and familiarity that came after playing the same song over and over for thousands of years. While this particular song was no longer his favourite song to play as he had learnt such interesting and new pieces of time he still loved to play it from time to time as it help him remember all the times he had sat among his wolf cousin and listened to them howl along to it back in the times when human settlements were few and far apart and he and Merrick were still one.

He hated humans: this was true, it was in his make up to hate humans there was nothing he could really do about that but it didn't stop him from being interested by them: Merrick had been his other half hence why he held him to a different regard to the other human warriors he had fought with, the Zeo Rangers held powers and skills beyond that of normal warriors and humans of this day and age; they were still pups in his mind and were putting their lives on the line more so than the worlds so called armies and this made them more than human in his opinion. This was the reason he held his memories of Merrick and the rangers so close to his heart: they were memories he would not forget not even when the rangers were dead and gone and Merrick had been asleep for another thousand years.

When he was coming to the end of the wolf song he easily flowed into the Zeo Green ode as he had named his new song and begun to play with a comfort he always felt when he immersed himself in his music and let his mind just wander, some days he wondered what would happen when he ran out of things to think about but then he would realise that was never going to happen and that he was always going to have something to think about because the world would never end for him not until Merrick's heart stops beating and with him being put to sleep that would never happen.

He was about to reach the more sullen apart of the song when a light and curious voice broke his concentration "That is a really pretty song" spinning around to locate the speaker Zen-Aku felt his heart jump a bit when he saw that the person watching him and listening to him play was the young boy who had been with the rangers only moments before.

Cocking his head to the side he wondered why the boy was not running away in fear and why he was just standing there looking at him in consideration "go away" he growled softly before turning back to his flute and thought about re-starting his song when the boy walked towards him instead of leaving reminding him that children of this era where not as compliant and obedient as they were two hundred years ago.

"What do you call it" the child asked him sitting down next to him: his much larger form dwarfing the child's own body-something that in a normal person would be intimidating but for the child didn't seem to be a big thing "Kinda reminds me of a friend of mine to be honest…or at least what I heard did" he continued smiling impishly.

Glancing down at the boy next to him he sighed and laid the flute on his lap when he realised the boy wasn't going to leave "What is your name pup?" he asked wanting to know the name of the boy who he could already tell was going to annoy him for the days to come with his wide curious eye.

This seemed to be the right thing to ask because the boy grin widened and his eyes brighten so that they were practically glowing with happiness-not something he was used to at all. "I'm Justin: Justin Stewart" he said holding out his small hand and it took a moment for Zen-Aku to realise that this Justin didn't even seemed fazed he had called him pup only a few moments ago.

Grunting he reached over and carefully clasped Justin's much smaller hand in his own making sure not to crush his hand with his greater strength or slash him with his claws "I am Zen-Aku" he growled and ignored the way his inner wolf howled happily at the sudden companion he had just acquired and turned back to his flute and began to play.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well...to say that the reaction i got this fic was surprising was a huge understatement, but like always i am really grateful to all my favorite readers and the way that they read after me so loyally. right anyway on to chapter two, now this skips two weeks or so after the end of chapter one and Zen-Aku and Justin have made a strange friendship at this point. enjoy. **

Having a companion in the young boy named Justin Stewart was something that even he as a warrior org had not been expect nor did he know how to handle it in the first place. He had always been alone ever since Merrick had decided to fall asleep he hadn't had anyone to talk to or even growl at in frustration when the days got too frustrating: for a long time he had been sure he was going to go crazy at the loneliness that he was constantly surrounded with and that soon he'd be seeing things that weren't there and talking to the spirits of his fallen brethren.

But ever since he had first met the young boy who was friends with the rangers he had found that those fears that had always been in the back of his mind making him more defensive and more of a hindrance to his cause were slowly fading away each and every time he saw the young pup sitting on what he had deemed their log with his books awaiting for him to arrive so he could listen to the music he played every afternoon at the same time and same clearing.

Logic didn't really seem to apply to this pup who by all rights should be horrified by his form and have ran away the moment he had laid eyes on his two weeks previous when he had stumbled across him playing his Green Zeo Ode. But instead of running away and screaming the boy had sat down next to him and listened to him play for an hour before he had thanked him with a wide smile on his face and then skipped off back towards the city humming the songs he had just finished playing only to appear the next day earlier than the previous afternoon with a excited smile on his face and a bag filled with books to occupy himself.

What surprised the wolf org more than the boy's sudden interest in him and need to listen to his flute music was more his acceptance of the boy. Not once since he had situated himself in his life a little more than fourteen days previously had he tried to kill or maim the boy in anyway, he growled and snapped at the boy when he didn't something to anger him but even they were becoming few and far in between with him choosing instead to listen to the interesting and strange things that the boy had to say that made no sense to him at all.

Through merely listening to the boy who seemed not be affected by his reluctant to say his human name-it was made enough to be hanging around with a human pup and not killing it but he would not address him by his name-he had learnt that the boy had lost his mother early on in his life, so early that he had gained no bond with her, he also learnt that he was very close to his father and the bond he had with the male of his family was stronger than normal as to make up with the lack of mother bond the boy would have normally gotten. The boy was very smart being in a year below the rangers at school despite the fact he was several years their junior, this lead to having some very interesting conversations about history and everything when he learnt how old he really was.

By listening when he had his meetings and observing the young boy closely when he was with his friends he was forced into the shadows because of his figure-not everyone is as accepting and kind as Justin-Zen-Aku had deducted that while being extremely smart for his own god almost boarding on genius the younger boy had no clue as to the status of his friends being heroes and often got frustrated when they had to leave during the middle of their activities that they planned to do together. But at the same time he got to see just how close the pup acted with the rangers and how even though he knew nothing of them being rangers just how much he was awed and inspired by them.

The young boy saw the red ranger as a leader and big brother almost boarding on a father figure and did almost everything the other man asked him to do, in the pink ranger he saw a mother: there was no other way for Zen-Aku to describe it otherwise, the pink doted on him and made sure he was alright giving him the hugs he hadn't gotten from the mother that wasn't there anymore. In the Yellow ranger Justin saw a goofy sister who would let him have fun but then take care of him when he got hurt or into trouble.

But even from the shadows Zen-Aku could see that the two rangers that Justin was closet to and the ones he loved the most out of all of them was the Blue and Green rangers. Justin loved them there was no other way to describe it and they in turn cherished him, the blue ranger had practically adopted him as yet another one of his younger siblings despite the fact he has several of them already and played with the boy whenever he could even ignoring duties that didn't originate from the ranger life he hid from his much younger friend. The green loved the younger boy and always set time aside just to talk to the boy and listen to the boy vent or merely talk about his day, the two of them had something the other rangers didn't and often Zen-Aku found that Justin would go to the two cooler colored rangers to talk about the more tender subjects he didn't think he could share with his other friends.

Knowing all this made Zen-Aku feel closer to the boy then he ever thought he would ever get to a normal human, knowing the green ranger as well as he did didn't count at all and it wasn't as if he sat down and had a conversation with him and yet he had grown closer to Justin then he ever though he could think was possible and before he could even blink he had bonded with the boy and it wasn't even a small soft bond but it was a full on friendship almost pack bond and that was slightly startling to the wolf org who hadn't thought he could have a pack bond: ever.

Today was a good day or at least he thought it was, the sun was shining but not too bright and even the rangers weren't needed almost as if their enemies had decided to give the young heroes some time off. Which was why he didn't expect to see the young child he had become so attached to over the time he had gotten to know him, which was actually making him feel a little sad despite the other bonus's that the day was bringing him, but despite Justin's absence from his side Zen-Aku found himself on his long in their clearing playing his Green Zeo ode which Justin had deemed his favorite once he had heard all the other songs he had memorized.

Whenever he wanted to think of the other he would choose to play it and often his mood would rise and get better which was why he was playing it over and over at that time. "You're starting early" a accusing voice said happily making a total contradiction as to what message the speaker was trying to convey to the person he was trying to address.

There was only one person Zen-Aku knew who could convey two emotions as clear as the speaker had just done and were still friends with him enough to be able to speak to him in such a manner without a hint of fear crawling into his voice. "Maybe I got tired of waiting pup" he growled in a low voice lowering the flute as his companion bounced over to his side and took his usual seat next to him on the log.

Glancing over to Justin the wolf org noticed several things that were off about his tiny friend, something bad had happened to the young boy and he hadn't been able to find the green ranger to talk it all out of his system meaning his emotions were still in turmoil and wrecking a storm inside him. Zen-Aku cocked his head to the side and tried to figure out what to do in this situation: one of the main reasons that he liked the friendship-or bond-he had going with the young boy was that he had several friends to vent to when his human emotions got too much to handle. He and Merrick had been separate from each other for so long that he had forgotten a lot of what human's felt and hence had no idea of how to go about dealing with the emotions that laced everything that humans did.

Deciding to draw on all the experience he could form his observations of the Green and Blue ranger's comforting sessions Zen-Aku decided to approach the young human emotionally. "Pup…what troubles you" he growled questioningly drawing the others attention who stare at him in shocked and slightly bewildered eyes for a moment.

"W-what?" Justin stuttered out after a moment making the wolf org wonder if he had spoken in his native tongue and not in the English that the humans so preferred to use.

Snorting in disbelief at the stupidity of the response the wolf warrior spoke again trying to make his voice a little more clearer so he didn't have to repeat himself once more "I can feel the storm raging inside you little one: what troubles you?" he asked again turning his gaze back to the alive forest surrounding their sanctuary acting as a shield.

Justin sniffed and looked down at his boots and picked at a small hole in his jeans as he tried to figure out his wording before he annoyed his much larger and scarier friend with how long it took him to answer "My father" he begun softly "He has to go away for a while and I have to stay here, and we've never really been apart my whole life and I'm just a little worried"

Suddenly everything made sense to the warrior, he too had felt the same when he and Merrick had been separated finally and he had been granted this horrible body to wander the earth in, the uncertainty and unfamiliarity of being alone and not having the person who was always there to turn to always by your side took a little bit to get used too-hell he wasn't used to it yet and he had been alone for thirty centuries almost.

Thinking that Zen-Aku's lack of answer meant that he found it stupid Justin sighed and ran a hand through his hair making it stick up in all different directions "Look Aku not all of us are big strong warriors like you; I get scared and alone a lot and now that my dad is going away it's going to be a little bit worse" he said in frustration hoping his strange and other worldly friend understood where he was coming from.

"I get lonely" the wolf org said after a moment of silence shocking the other boy and making his draw a gasp that had a small grin quirking the sides of the warrior's jaws "I have been wandering the earth since before the rule of Caesar young pup alone without anyone to talk to or tell my stories to, I understand what it means to be alone"

Looking down as if ashamed Justin suddenly found the floor very interesting and nodded in understanding, "I didn't think of that" he mumbled and drew a loud barking yet still smooth laugh from the large warrior who nodded in understanding.

"Pup I would not think that you would" he said patting the young boy's head fondly making sure his claws didn't catch on any of the boys messy locks "You are still young and I am very old, I have seen many warriors grow and go through the same age and times that you are at this moment and while you are different from all of them there is one thing you will always share with them" he said grinned in tapping Justin on the forehead making him giggle "You are all forgetful teenagers"

Nodding in understanding Justin smiled and Zen-Aku could tell that the storm inside his young friend had been quelled which meant he could be to play again starting with the song of stars one of his personal favorites that he hadn't played in a while. But before he could start Justin threw his arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek making him whine in confusion. "Thank you Aku…you mean so much to me" the younger boy said muffled into his neck.

Softening his expression the wolf org began to play his song all the while the younger boy curled up on his lap humming along with his music strengthening the bond between them.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Right well this was...interesting chapter to write, have tot hank my muse Jameis for giving the prompt to write the lake scene towards the end-great idea by the way-now to all the people reading, reviewing and faving this fic i thank you so much. Now onto Chapter 3**

Time like all things moves on, this was something Zen-Aku as an immortal Org had come to understand and accept very early on in his seclusion and he had never once been upset when he had out stayed his welcome in a certain place or city as he knew that in a short amount of time he could once again return to the land in a few hundred years and if he was lucky a few decades once everything had once again changed. His stay in Angel Grove was not his first, it had changed from his first visit but he had been there before in his first thousandth years of life alone when it had still been a lush forest full of wildlife and places for him to rest hidden from the eyes of the human population which hadn't reached that far yet.

He had love it back then, he hadn't felt so alone then and he had stayed for almost a entire decade but as he always had he had moved on without looking back. But now Zen-Aku couldn't bring himself to think that this time would be the same as all the other times he had moved before: he was being forced to move because of the human population that he was almost always running into now-he wasn't ignorant to believe that all of the humans would be as considerate and kind hearted as Justin who spent nearly every day with him now even if he snuck out in the middle of the night to spend the night with him in his den he had shown the young boy to earlier that week.

When he left Zen-Aku knew he was going to feel something that he hadn't felt since he had left Merrick's slumbering body all those years ago: he knew that he would feel the loss and loneliness flood his body almost too the same degree. He had made bonds to Angel Grove and he was always going to love it there but more than that he had become attached to people there: the rangers for one-they had become something of an obsession to the wolf org who hadn't thought he see anyone with skills and strength to match that of the Wild Warriors until he had seen the rangers in battle and then of course there was Justin.

The bond he held with the young pup he had thought was that of friends but now he knew that it was nothing of the sort and that the bond he wanted to have with the younger boy was much more in the area of a mate which he knew was as shocking to him as it would be to Justin. It wasn't unheard of for an Org to fall in love with another species and want them as a mate but those species normally leaned towards a Demon or alien never human, and yet to the wolf org it felt more than natural to him.

His strange bond that he had with the boy and the lust he had for his young companion stemmed from the ties he still felt with Merrick, the same ties that kept him alive for so long. Lately he had begun thinking back to his human counterpart thinking about who he would have loved, who he would have chosen as a mate, the wolf warrior had always been so kind to his youngest clan brother-the lion brother but at the same time he had known Merrick had always had some sort of bond with the princess of the lands: Shayala or something, too much time had gone by to remember her. He wondered what his human counterpart would think of Justin: would he like him? Or would he disapprove of the emotions the wolf org was feeling for him.

But none of his feelings really mattered, well not anymore not since that afternoon at least, not since the rangers discovered him. He hadn't been doing anything wrong merely playing his flute like he always had only this time it was a new song one he had made about the relationship between the blue and green ranger-or well the relationship he could see and the one they never acted upon as to not jeopardise the friendship they had-one that he was very fond of and proud he had been able to create when the ranger team had stumbled upon his tiny grove.

They hadn't attacked right away-something he was immensely glad of- but they had been on edge until the green ranger had stepped forward and addressed him directly ignoring all the protests he was getting from his red ranger leader and the worried urges from his blue companion who kept telling him to be careful and asked him if he was working with the Machine Empire and King Mondo, to which he had snarled and told them he would never work for robots. He had been very impressed with the ranger's guts and the way he stood up to him when better men have stood down and cowered because of his ugly demeanour.

When he had asked him in a strong willed voice what he was doing here and who he was Zen-Aku had thought of lying and telling him he was just someone lost from another planet considering he knew of the rangers like of aliens but he couldn't do that, he may have been a killing machine but he was a warrior as well, not just any warrior but he had the spirit of the wolf within him which just made the honour that ran though his blood that much stronger, which was why he told them he was Zen-Aku and he was no threat to them.

Of course like the true protectors they were the red ranger had told him that if he had no business in Angel Grove then he should move on quickly as he had a shifty look to him and that he didn't trust him at all. This of course was unfair he knew this hell even the green ranger knew it considering he had protested that decision stating that was unfair and that he should be allowed to live in peace so long as he didn't cause any trouble and that he had obviously been living there long enough to get comfortable and that he should be allowed to stay. To say he had been shocked at the other boy's defending of him had been and overstatement but he had told the green ranger he'd accept the red ranger's terms.

Now looking back that had been a very stupid thing to say because he hadn't wanted to leave at all, he had wanted to stay more than anything in the whole world, he wanted to stay with Justin and get to know him better, try to get reconnected with that inner human that Merrick had filled once upon a time. But now he had two days to leave before the rangers came to fight him and the thing was he couldn't do it, he wouldn't let himself die and put Justin through that pain not after losing his father just a few weeks ago, which was why he was waiting in their grove for his young friend to turn up with his bright smile and kind demeanour.

Glancing around at the beautiful glowing crystal lake surrounding him the wolf org knew he couldn't have found a more perfect nor beautiful surroundings to tell Justin of his upcoming departure. He hoped that the young boy understood just how much he wanted to stay but he knew that was impossible. "Aku!" a laughing voice shouted warning the wolf org to his friends immediate arrival despite the fact that the warrior had been able to hear the young boy racing through the foliage while he was still a god five minutes away, but that didn't stop him from preparing himself when the boy jumped up on his back laughing the whole time.

Grabbing hold of the boy's legs the org swung the boy around so that he was facing him and gave him a slight nuzzle-and action that had seemed so strange at first until Justin had told him he loved it because it made him feel special and loved-before placing him on the ground "Hello pup was your day enjoyable?" he asked curiously, he was always fascinated as to how the younger boy went during his days when he was constantly surrounded by students older than himself.

The boy shrugged and twirled around happily-something Zen-Aku found the boy did a lot when he just wanted to move. "Oh it was okay: a normal Friday you know, but the power rangers got called in did you know!" he said his eyes wide with excitement and the mention of his home town heroes that Zen-Aku was well aware the young boy idolised.

"I am aware" he said gravelly catching his young friend's attention that walked back over to him and took one of his huge paws in his hands.

"Aku…is something wrong?" he asked softly "You haven't been your usual self since I got here and that was only a few minutes ago" he said

Shocked at the sudden question Zen-Aku felt himself fall into the glowing water dragging Justin in with him and quickly gripped the smaller boy to his frame and exploded from the crystal water with Justin roaring with laughter-something that made him happy for short time, he liked it when Justin was laughing it sounded nice.

"Where are those brilliant warrior reflexes huh" Justin said splashing him teasingly before pushing away from his larger friend so that he could float in the warm water despite being completely clothed. "What was it you were saying about meeting the rangers?" he questions the water that had slicked his hair to his forehead slipping in to his eyes.

"I was found by the rangers and they have asked me to leave Angel Grove because of the war" he said his voice rumbling out comfortingly as his black armour glinted in the evening sunset light and with the slick water coating it like a second layer of protection. "I understand why they are asking this of me so I leave this night"

The young boy shook his head and then with a agility that one his age should not possess while in the water the boy surged towards him like a missile and wrapped his arms around his neck startling the wolf org and making him float back slight "No you can't leave!" he cried into his neck and if the wolf warrior had thought it was hard just thinking about leaving the young boy he had been totally wrong because actually saying goodbye to Justin was so much worse.

Growling low in his throat the org leant back and nuzzled Justin's wet hair softly making the boys sobs quieten just that little bit that Zen-Aku was aware that his comfort was working just that little bit better than before "Don't worry little one: I will be back" he whispered softly pressing a soft kiss to Justin's forehead.

"But I'll be old and almost dead!" he cried burring his face in his chest armour not caring about how cold it felt because of the water splashing it's surface. "I don't want to wait that long…I love you!"

Zen-Aku froze and Justin looked up at him with teary eyes making the wolf orgs eyes stop, the boy couldn't have said what he thought he had just heard; sure his hearing was much better than any humans but he couldn't have just heard the kid tell him he loved him: there was no way Justin wasn't even old enough to know what love was let alone actually be able to feel it and his tears could easily just be a trick of the water they were still submerged in. "Justin…don't make this harder than it has to be"

The young boy looked up at him with wide and scared eyes and all restraint that the wolf org once had disappeared at the vision that Justin painted while in his large arms: small wet and eyes brimming with what he knew were tears. Before he could think of stopping himself he leant down and pressed his lips to the younger boys for a short moment and waited for the other to kiss him back and almost growled when Justin pressed his own lips back only a few seconds later.

The kiss lasted a good few minutes and when he pulled back Justin ran a hand over Zen-Aku's muzzle and smiled softly "I love you to" The wolf org whispered back making the young boy's face split into a huge grin.

"Take me with you" He whispered against his lips before kissing him sweetly once more as they floated in the now warm water.

Thinking of all the trouble he could get into the wolf org tried to think of a way to explain this to the young boy and yet something deep inside him cried at the thought at separating from the little boy and as the two thoughts wrestled with each other the wold warrior looked down at Justin who was staring at him with such love feeding his selfish core until the words "Get your stuff and meet me here in an hour" slipped from his lips and he had unknowingly decided.

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	4. Chapter 4

**I would like to thank everyone who is supporting me with this fic, it's bee a little hard to get motivated but when i look and see just how many people actually read this i get back into my mojo and i get a whole chapter done. So thank yo****u and here is chapter 4. **

Being on the run was about as fun as it sounded, when he had left Angel Grove with Justin three weeks earlier he hadn't really thought about the implications of taking the young teenager with him, all he had thought of was having Justin with him all the time by his side and no longer being alone. It hadn't taken much effort to take the boy with him at all, Justin rode on his back with a single backpack holding enough clothes to do him over for a week which Zen-Aku made sure the boy got washed every two days in the dead of night when he snuck into the towns they stopped by on their journey.

But at the same time he knew the rangers would find out what he had done and probably would send a few of them after him and the young boy so they could take their friend back. He didn't tell Justin any of this mainly because he didn't want the boy to worry about him and the situation he had unintentionally put him in by asking him to take him along on his travels, he knew that Justin had only thought about living with him and not that the rangers would probably be pissed at him for doing so. Another reason he refused to tell Justin that the rangers would be hunting them was that he really couldn't allow the young boy lose his hope and awe of the young heroes because in all truth they hadn't really done anything wrong in sending him away: only done their jobs as the Power Rangers.

One thing he as a wolf org loved about having Justin with him was that he had someone who he could curl up with at night and take silent support from when his loneliness got to be a bit too much to handle, and slowly he could feel the dark hole that he had carried around since he and Merrick had been split healing and being filled with the love and companionship that Justin was happily giving him every day they traveled. The young boy had changed since they had begun traveling; he had become more inquisitive of all the places he'd been asking more questions to what his old life as a part of Merrick had been like even asking what the wolf warrior himself had been like in personality.

Zen-Aku himself had found himself telling his young mate more and more about his old life even promising the young boy to take him to the place where Merrick rested in eternal slumber sealing his fate to walk these lands forever when he was a little bit bigger and could handle the long journey. The two of them had planned many journeys of the light of a warming campfire during the dead of the nights they had sent together and despite seeing these lands change and evolve before his eyes for the last three millennium the org found himself getting more and more excited about the idea of these trips as he realized just how different his experiences would be when he was Justin as his child like optimism would rub off on him and change his past experiences into something beautiful.

The two of them were currently heading for Ocean Bluff because Justin wanted to see the beautiful forests that surrounded the marina town and in his words watch the moon rise across the water from the cliff sides with him. It was such a childlike or couple thing to do that Zen-Aku had at first laughed when Just asked him but at the same time he didn't have the heart to say no to his young companion and before he could stop himself he had picked Justin up and started off in the direction towards the quaint town that Zen-Aku found he liked quite much.

From all his memories of the small town all he could remember was bright moon lit nights and lush forests which he had ran through in freedom that he rarely felt anymore, that had been ten years ago and he just hoped not too much had changed in the beautiful town, because when he had spoken of Ocean Bluff to Justin the young boys late one night before they had made up their minds of where they were headed he had watched as his brown eyes had widened in awe at the beauty he spoke of and he wanted to let Justin see that place and experience it for himself rather than listening to his stories night after night of what he had missed out, he had already told him of the Romans and the Greeks and the times he had missed from merely not being born yet he wanted to give this to him.

It was a hot day and Justin was walking next to him happily in the steamy jungle as the continued on their way to the ocean town babbling about how he would have loved to see Rocky and Adam's face one last time just to say goodbye face to face and that he was going to have to send them a letter when they did reach their destination. He understood that Justin missed his friends-especially those two-so he just agreed and allowed the young boy to ramble on and on about the adventures the three of them had gotten up to while he had still lived in Angel Grove only faintly interested.

Sometimes it surprised him with just how much patience he had gained when he was with Justin, only a few months ago before he had met the boy he probably would have already snapped at any one else to shut up and that he didn't care, but with Justin he just couldn't bring himself to do that, it didn't feel right and when he did snap at the boy he felt so guilty that on most occasions he would apologize only minutes after he had done so just so that Justin didn't get mad at him. He didn't know if it was because Justin was constantly reminding him that he actually truly loved him and that he wanted to spend his life with him but the bond between the two of them refused to let the wolf org drive the boy away and that was something Zen-Aku was completely grateful for: because he didn't know what would happen to him if Justin suddenly was no longer by his side.

The wolf org was startled out of his inner thought when Justin was stopped in his train of conversation by a violent cough that made the wolf org's hackles rise at the horrible sound that was coming from the young boy next to him. Stopping and crouching down in front of Justin who was covering his mouth with one hand and the other arm wrapped around his waist for support whining slightly at the terrible sound that Justin was making. "Pup?" he inquired anxiously.

Justin coughed for another minute or so before he broke off gasping for air and giving him a delicate and comforting smile and bought the hand that had once been wrapped around his waist up to pat the side of his muzzle to sooth away the fear and anxiety that was no doubt welling up in the wolf org in front of him. "Don't worry Aku" he said affectionate and leant forward to press a small feather light kiss on his forehead "It was just a little cough I'm okay" he said before he stepped around him and kept walking only to stop and give him a cheeky grin "You coming?"

Now Zen-Aku doesn't pretend to really know the first thing about the human body except how to crush the life from it, if he was asked the different ways he knew how to kill a human he would be perfectly capable of answering that question but the truth of the matter he had no idea if Justin really was okay or if he was getting sick or not and that scared him more than he wanted to admit, but he didn't show any of that to his companion and instead pushed himself to his feet and followed after the bubbly brunette who once again rambling on and on about something trivial and the org was sure wasn't actually that important. But to Zen-Aku the importance of what the younger boy was talking about didn't matter, it was more the fact that it was Justin's voice talking to him instead of the echoing and empty but strangely alive sounds of the jungle around him instead making him feel lonely and empty. No just hearing the young boy's voice beside him rambling on and on was enough for the warrior org who had put up with silence for too long so as Justin droned on and on the wolf org forgot about the hackling cough that had just wracked the younger boy's frame only moments ago and focused on Justin instead.

Ignoring the first signs of sickness often lead to the illness being worse, or at least that was what Zen-Aku had figured as he watched Justin heave breath into his lungs after another hackling cough had just passed through his body. Two hours ago they had set up camp for the night and on hour ago Justin had begun coughing again much to his fear stating it was nothing but a tickle in his throat, but what Justin forgot was that he had excellent hearing and whenever the boy coughed he could hear the sloshing and slugging sounds that ran through his body with each heave and cough that ran through him and he knew well that it wasn't a simple cough that Justin was ailed with. But he didn't have the heart to tell Justin that and let the young boy convince both himself and try to convince the wolf org that he was fine.

"Pup" he called over the fire with a small wooden bowl filled with a broth he hoped would help the boy get better even if it was a long shot "You need to eat something" he said and he watched Justin move over to sit next to him and eat the broth slowly almost as if he was afraid if he ate too much or too fast that it would all come.

The boy begun to shake just after his first few spoonful's and without thinking about it Zen-Aku pulled the young boy onto his lap and nuzzled the top of his head trying to convey comfort and keep the boy warm at the same time even though the boy felt like a mini sun in his lap with how warm he felt. "Thank you" Justin whispered his voice sounding clogged up and rough which grated on his ears unlike Justin's normal voice which sounded like a melody he would write a song too.

Grunting and tightening his grip on the boy the org nudged the hand that Justin held the bowl in lightly "Eat" he commanded softly no malice or anger found in his tone, he didn't want to scare the boy and yet at the same time he knew that Justin didn't want him to pity him which is why he kept silent instead and watched the boy eat slowly.

By the time Justin was finished with his bowl Zen-Aku was sure that more than half of the food the boy had eaten had been stone cold with just the amount of time it had taken him to eat it, but that wasn't what was worrying the org at all: it was Justin himself. For the last ten minutes he had been swaying in his lap and had seemed dizzier than a normal person with a cold should be and he was burning even hotter than before. When the boy sagged against him weightlessly his breathing coming out harsh and labored the org knew that the boy needed help and he needed it soon and he formulated a plan in his head which made his internal wolf howl in loss.

"How about a song?" he said pulling out his flute and bringing it to his lips and begun to play his ode to the Zeo Green knowing that it would lull Justin into a rest almost immediately.

As he played he heard Justin trying to hum along like he normally did but it almost broke his heart when he heard the broken voice making him fall silent and instead blocked out the sick sound and focused on his song letting it flow from him easily until Justin was dead asleep in his arms with a mixture of relaxation thanks to the song and the comfort that Zen-Aku had given him and the sickness which had exhausted his body to its limits. When he felt Justin collapse fully in his arms the wolf warrior org put away his flute and heaved the boy up into his arms so he could run easily and then with one last glance to the jungle around then he shot off back the way he came at full speed: heading back to Angel grove and the only ones he would trust to take care of his pup: he was going back to the rangers.

**Thoughts?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Nearing the finish: what's everyone thinking so far huh? Before i get to the final part I just want to Thank jameis who gave me the idea and inspiration to continue to write this fic-also for putting up with the long delay on the creation of his vision. Next thank you to all my reviewers and followers, i didn't think this would even get five reviewers so it came as a shock to see just how many people are following this creation: you keep my muse alive thank you. **

One thing that as a traveler Zen-Aku had always loved and taken advantage of whenever he could was the speed that he was gifted with: the way he could cross states in only a hour if he unleashed in long bounding limb in a flurry of movement and energy that would send him flying across the ground that he needed to cross. It was this same speed that he was hating and trying to reign in and yet at the same time needing to go faster at the very same time, because while with each bounding step and bound that he took just put him that little bit closer to the end of his time with Justin he knew that his young companion needed help and that he couldn't give him that help. He knew that he should have said no to Justin the minute he had asked to come with him, the boy was still too young to travel into the different lands and climates that he was unaffected by and the wolf org was just happy that he hadn't taken Justin to the amazon like he had been planning at first and had instead stuck to the American states instead because if this was how sick Justin got by just being rushed through two states he didn't want to know how sick the young boy would get from being sent to a different climate all together.

Jumping of a log in front of him the warrior glanced up at the horizon and had to hold back a growl of frustration when he saw that the sun was peeking above the horizon and that it was going to beat him before he reached his destination that was at least another forty minutes flat running. It wasn't that he was getting tired because he had great stamina on top of his speed and he could easily keep running all day it was more the fact that his original plan was the put Justin on the doorstep of one of the rangers houses-if he could remember where they lived-and leave a note telling them that he hadn't done anything to harm the boy and that he was ill and needed assistance but by the way the sun was rising it wasn't going to happened because he knew that at least several of the rangers would be awake in twenty minutes at the most and that if he entered their city the others would be awoken by their teammates.

Turning his attention to the shivering and yet burning bundle in his arms the wolf org let out a displeased whine at the distress that was wracking the young boy in his arms who had yet to drag himself from his fitful sleep that Zen-Aku was more than sure was anything but restful in the least despite the fact that he was running and jumping through the forests and the jungle before that. He knew that Justin was ill probably terribly sick at that if the blood staining the corners of his mouth were anything to go by but he didn't know how anyone could stay asleep through all the jostling he was putting him through: because it didn't matter how smoothly or swiftly he ran Justin was being jostled even if that was not his intention.

It had been seven hours since he had first heard Justin cough and Zen-Aku was thinking back trying to find the warning signs that he had missed earlier that his young companion was getting sick anything that would have missed his normally sharp sight. He could remember a week back when the boy was complaining about being cold despite the fact they were in the middle of the jungle and the sun was beating down on them being the middle of the day, that was strange and the warrior org knew that it was a tell-tale sign that the person is getting sick: something he had overlooked as the boy just needing something to complain about what with him being at that age.

Then of course there was his sudden lack of appetite that seemed to just appear from nowhere, one day he had been tearing into the leg of a deer he had caught for them and then the next he hardly touched the stew he had made with a hare announcing that while it was nice of him to make him the food every night that he was just simply not hungry. It never occurred to him that Justin was falling asleep he had just thought that maybe the boy didn't like hare's and that he should avoid cooking with it as much as possible-kinda hard when you're traveling all the time and the only way you could eat was if you ate what you caught.

The only other sign he could think of would have to be the strange body temperature fluctuations he seemed to be going through: which he knew was a sign of an oncoming fever. One moment Justin would be burning to the touch and yet never seemed affected by it in fact stating he was a little on the cold side whenever he bought it up to him and then the next he would be chilling and freezing and yet complaining that he was boiling. This had caught his attention as strange and that day he had called travels off early and made the boy rest for the night and afternoon, when they had broken camp the next day the boy seemed to have returned to normal so he had forgotten about it: which in hind sight seemed to have been a terrible thing.

Jumping onto the top of a short cliff that he could remember helping Justin down only a few weeks earlier when he had been completely healthy the wolf org didn't pause in his step only increased his speed knowing he was only a few minutes from the entrance to Angel Grove where he was going to need to catch the rangers attention quickly, and for the first time since he had ever been close to the city and the rangers had been called into battle against their foes he prayed there would be a battle so he wouldn't need to go actively seeking them out. When he reached the overlook to the city he stopped and opened the hearing to find any noises that would indicate that he could find the rangers in a certain part of the city.

It took only a few moments but Zen-Aku felt victorious when he heard the red ranger's voice yelling out the green rangers name and telling him to take the opponent down. Thanking whatever power was looking out for Justin at that moment in time the wolf org bounded down the overlook and towards the direction of the battle just in time to see the green ranger take out their enemy before it suddenly grew and they were force to call their Zords and make the warrior take cover. Never before had Zen-Aku hidden from a zord fight by he wasn't alone this time and he couldn't take the chance that he could get Justin injured, and the one thing the boy didn't need on top of the illness that was plaguing his body.

When the opponent exploded in a shower of sparks-that had always confused the wolf org, why the hell did they explode again?-he crawled from his hiding spot and quietly approached the rangers who had yet to de-morph and were all congratulating each other on a good battle and that they were just relieved it was over. Despite being a good fighter and knowing how to be an even better assassin when he tried Zen-Aku was soon spotted by the blue ranger who froze and the tapped his green garbed friend on the shoulder gaining his attention. "Adam" he said slowly and then pointed to him who was approaching them slowly.

"You" the green ranger breathed out in shock and what Zen-Aku could also tell was a little bit of awe at his impressive form-he did tower of the small fighter which he could tell impressed the green ranger more than he liked to show or reveal. "Why are you back?"

Stopping in front of the ranger team so that he was at least ten meters away he looked down at Justin in his arms and then angled the boy down so that they could see him which drew gasps of fear and shock from the yellow and pink rangers and made anger start flowing from the red and blue rangers while the green ranger only stared at him waiting for an explanation. "He is ill" he said making the green ranger nod slowly. "He needs help"

That seemed to be the last straw for the red ranger who took a step forward snarling "Yeah well you shouldn't have taken him!" he snarled about to take another step forward only to be stopped by his second in commands hand on his chest "Adam?"

"That is enough" the green ranger said in a low and calm voice which made Zen-Aku proud that he had chosen the ranger he trusted most well: he knew very well that this 'Adam' probably liked him just as much as he did the others but it also seemed that the green ranger had enough sense that the others seemed to be missing to at least to hear him out. "We can get him the help he needs" he called out to him making him nod. "But you knew that didn't you?"

Straightening his shoulder the wolf org nodded once making the green ranger glance at the tense forms of his teammates surrounding him. "Yes I came back across several states to find you" he spoke evenly without skipping a beat and telling the full truth. "It took me all night"

Not even thinking that he was lying about running across several states in one night the green ranger took a step forward but making sure to keep the others behind almost as if he knew that he wouldn't let any of the other rangers approach him and that he only trusted the green garbed ranger. "You didn't take Justin didn't you" he said softly making the wolf org actually shocked at the understanding he heard in the fellow warriors voice-even if it was slightly muffled by the stupid helmet he wore hiding his face from view. "He went willingly didn't he" he finished drawing gasps from his fellow rangers.

"Adam what are you talking about?" the blue ranger demanded about to take a step towards his friend but then re-thinking it and keeping his place behind him. "Why would Justin just leave?"

Zen-Aku knew the green ranger was smirking under his helmet and he also knew that the blue ranger knew and let the two of them talk out their problems while allowing the young fighter take another two steps towards him closing the distance between them to six meters. "Remember the final entry in Justin's journal when we looked through his room, it stated he had found someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with: I think this is him"

"But he's not even human!" the red ranger exclaimed while the blue ranger seemed to understand and relaxed his tense stance but kept his gaze on the back of the green ranger like a guardian.

Taking another three steps back and closing the distance to two meters the green ranger stopped completely and then turned his head back slightly back to his team and focused on the red ranger completely "Sometimes that doesn't matter, I mean Billy's in love with a fish isn't he?" he said his voice laced with amusement which shut the leader up before he turned his attention back to the wolf armored warrior in front of him. "Can I take him now?" he asked in respect.

Looking down at Justin one more time Zen-Aku leaned down and nuzzled his hair one more time taking in his sweet scent and then stepped forward-ignoring the way the other rangers tensed-and then placed the frail body in the green ranger's arms carefully like Justin was the most valuable thing in the world: to him that boy was. "I am trusting him with you green ranger: do not betray that trust" he growled.

Understanding the warning the green ranger nodded and tightened his grip on the boy "I will protect him with my life" he said locking gazes with the wolf org for a moment before Zen-Aku turned around and then ran back into the forest electing yells from the other ranger "Leave him…he won't hurt anyone" Adam said softly "Plus Justin needs a hospital" he said turning around and striding off in the opposite direction.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Finished! complete thank you for reading and following. Now for my fans i have a proposal: what do you all think of me carrying this into a sequel base around Zen-Aku and Merrick-who may or may into be totally infatuated with a certain red ranger-I am not say this will happen cayuse i wanted to run it pass all of you. Please read this chapter and tell me what you think of my idea it would be much appreciated. **

Two years, that was how long it took for Zen-Aku to crawl back to the beautiful forest town that had been his home, where he had met the human he had come to love as his 'soul mate' the place he had run from and abandoned that very boy. When Justin had gotten sick he hadn't had any idea what to do which was why he had run away leaving his most treasures possession in the hands of the only other human he could ever trust and now…he was forgotten-a memory. The young boy he had loved had grown up all by himself and had become the next blue ranger and that was something he hadn't been able to share with him no matter how hard he wished or wanted it to be true.

While he had been running all over the country side traveling and seeing how the world was evolving from the time he had last visited-he really liked Europe: had a lot of forests to hide in like Romania-the young boy he had once run away with had been getting bigger, older and stronger until he was a hero in his own right and had the suit to prove it. The rangers had evolved once again from when he had last been in the beautiful town, they no longer held the power of the Zeo crystal and the Machine Empire had fallen in a final fight that had drained the rangers of their powers once more, but now new Rangers had been created this time with the power of Turbo.

What shocked him even more was that the older rangers including the green and red from the old teams who had been the most dedicated out of all of them had passed their own powers on and were living normal lives now. The red ranger who he had finally figured out was named Tommy was racing with his uncles racing team but was pursuing a college degree, the pink ranger was dancing off somewhere in Europe, and the yellow ranger had gone into the bigger city for music. The two rangers he had liked or tolerated the most had been the hardest to track down but when he had found them he had been pleasantly surprised by what he found. The blue ranger who had been forced to pass his powers to Justin earlier than his fellow teammates had passed their own powers on because of a serious back injury was busy taking a Business degree at college while Adam the green ranger who he had trusted the most was busy with his Stunt school and also attending college.

When he had heard that the old blue ranger who had cared for his Justin as brother had been injured enough to take him out of action he had been suddenly reminded that the rangers for all their powers and fighting proneness were human just as much as anyone else was which of course had driven him further away from the small city where the only human he would ever love lived. He had returned after the Turbo rangers had lost their own powers two months prior to check in on the young boy who would be nearing the human age of fourteen, not quite and adult but most defiantly a child, he was going to see if the young boy wanted to go away with him once more, he wanted to show the boy Merrick who he himself hadn't been able to visit in the last two years.

But when he had arrived he had been shocked to see just how much the other boy had grown up, his hair now cut short and spiky, his once innocent brown eyes a little shadowed but sparkled with a happiness that made Zen-Aku's heart ache just that little more than he had felt than the time when he had left the boy in the care of the other rangers in the first place. Being a ranger had changed the boy, it made him more aware, stronger inside and when he had followed him home to the wolf org had been able to see how much staying in Angel Grove had bought the young hero closer to his father who adored the young boy as his whole body. It hurt him to admit but the boy he had once loved was gone, his Justin, the one who had stared at him in awe when he told his stories had grown up and was gone.

Deciding to say goodbye to the two forever the wolf org made himself ready to travel to Merrick's resting place so he could visit his still slumbering other half for a short time before moving on once more, but before he could he needed to see one place before he did leave Angel Grove for the last time: The grove. The beautiful cove where he had hid for two years was as beautiful as he remembered and made him sigh just looking around the enchanting forest that had once been his home and hiding place, he had such fond memories there, ranging from when he had met the wild fox cubs that had lived alongside him all the way to the times he had spent with Justin just speaking and telling him things that he had done and seen.

When his gaze fell on the Crystal Lake that he had shared his first kiss with Justin in he heard himself let out a small whine, so many nights he hadn't slumbered because his memory would return to that afternoon when he had held Justin against him armored body and kissed him with all the care and love he could find in his heart, it was a memory he loved and hated at the same time, because while it had marked the beginning of their short love affair in which the young boy had somehow taken everything he was and made it his own it was also the beginning of the end for the two of them which made the memory bittersweet.

Growling low in his throat the wolf org took one glance around his old home to print it into his memory before turning around to lock gazes with the amused brown eyes of the old green ranger, the very one he had wrote and ode too only two years ago-he had a new favorite song to play but the Green Zeo ode would always have a place in his heart-who didn't seem at all angry that he had returned to place he had run away from so long ago.

"So you're back" he said drily arching an eyebrow at the much taller warrior in front of him, "If you're here for Justin you're probably going to have a bit of trouble there"

The wolf org cocked his head which made him look so much like his wolf cousins that it took everything bit of control and restraint that Adam had not to crack up laughing, he wasn't stupid he knew that this creature could rip him apart without blinking, hell he probably could have done that when he had been morphed with the power flowing through his body. "Oh really and why's that?" the wolf creature asked his voice just as raspy and intimidating as Adam remembered it.

Zen-Aku watched as the green rangers shifted from foot to foot a nervous gesture he couldn't pull apart "For most of the year after you left him in my care Justin was a mess" he said slowly making the wolf org sigh in irritation when would he get to the point "But then he began to forget"

The warrior froze and looked at Adam in total shock, was he lying? There was just no way that Justin could have forgotten their time together so quickly, he knew that the younger a person was the easier they forgot things but he hadn't thought that the young boy would forget so easily considering the fact that he was twelve at the time "You're lying" he snarled making Adam swallow nervously "He couldn't have"

"I think he might have blocked it out to forget about it, you were a big part of him" he said slowly making the wolf org calm down enough for him to gain total control of the anger that was threatening to take over him.

Closing his eyes against the pain the green ranger had unknowingly inflicted on him the eternal warrior nodded and then huffed a sigh: he understood-he didn't like it-Justin was a human and a young one at that, he couldn't just keep the emotional wreck that the loss of their relationship probably would give him and then survive on top of that, maybe it would be best to leave Justin and never look back. "Is he happy" was all he asked knowing that the green ranger would tell him the truth.

A moment passed and Adam smiled warmly "Yes…it took time but he's found who he is now" he finished off smiling sadly at the wolf warrior "I know he loved you, I can see it in his eyes sometimes but…he's moved on" he whispered not wanting to anger the larger figure any more than he guessed he already was.

"Then I shall leave him to his happy life" Zen-Aku said his voice sad but holding a touch of fondness for the young ranger which shocked the green ranger "Remember this green Zeo" he said as he wandered in the direction of the cave he had once slept in-he still had something he wanted to collected before he left the city "All I wanted was for Justin to be happy"

Then in one large leapt the wolf org was gone from sight leaving a shocked and slightly confused Adam in his wake. Grabbing the things he had left behind Zen-Aku paused when he saw the silver wolf charm he had created for Justin but had left here for when they returned on their travels, quickly making up his mind the large wolf org grabbed it and hurried out the opening just as the sun was setting, he might not be able to be with Justin but he could leave something for the boy to remember him with, even if it was just something as small as a charm. He knew it was stupid for him to go back to the boy but he was hoping not to get caught.

Which was why he was now standing in the boy's bedroom placing a small wooden box on the boy's beside table, nodding happily the wolf org was about to leave when he heard the bed room door open and thinking quickly he jumped into the shadows where he hide cursing silently that there was only enough shadows to hide his features but not hide him completely. This was proven when Justin walked through the door and then froze when he spotted the figure in the corner of his room making him slip into a battle ready position without even thinking about it. "Who are you!" he demanded

"I mean you no harm" Zen-Aku growled his heart swelling when he saw how much Justin had grown, it was like looking at a different person, but he could still tell: it was his Justin. "I came to return a gift from the past" he said motioning to the wooden box that the Turbo ranger looked at for a long moment before he carefully picked it up.

Zen-Aku watched as Justin gasped when he spotted the wolf charm dangling from a ball bearing chain lying innocently on the wood interior; it was simple but had a beautiful blue gem where the wolf's eye would be: in his eyes it was beautiful. "Who's was this?" he whispered softly making Zen-Aku smile sadly, Adam was right he really didn't remember him or anything about the two of their adventure.

"It was mine, I wish to give it to you" he said making Justin look up and give him a questioning look, the same one the org remembered from two years ago "As a thank you for protecting us as the blue ranger" he said turning away to walk away, the need to get away from the boy he had loved overwhelming him almost completely.

Justin looked down at the chain and smiled happily it felt right that he had it, almost like it was meant to be his "Thank you" he whispered making the shadowed stranger stop before he reached his window which Justin guessed he used to get inside in the first place.

Zen-Aku smiled and then looked at the now darkening sky "Just remember pup…to live your life to the fullest" he said before he leapt out running away, he had taken a risk calling Justin pup but it had just flipped out before he could stop it.

Back in the house Justin blinked in confusion, why was he just called pup? Why did it feel right, he had no answered to these questions, shaking his head Justin smiled down at the necklace and then put around his head with a warm smile, maybe one day he would meet the creature who gave this to him and he could thank him face to face, if that day ever came he was looking forward to it.

In the slowly darkening moon light the wolf org turned and gave Angel Grove one last final look knowing that it would indeed be the final time he laid eyes on the beautiful forest city, a place that had been his home and the place where he had found the one he loved more so than his own existence. After turning away from the small town Zen-Aku pulled his flute out and begun to play his wolf song as he set off in a new direction, there was a new city he wished to visit: Turtle Cove, it was fairly new so he would probably take a few detours but in the new few years he was going to end up there, maybe he could make it his home: who knew maybe he would find what he was really looking for there?

**Finished: Sad ending I know but Zen-Aku was alone in Wild Force and Justin doesn't go so I had to split them up. **


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